new films?

Jack

Here we go again...my father tells me that the latest issue of Vanity Fair mentions two new Djangocentric films in the works: One a documentary by a fellow named Rick Ross, and one a feature from Universal based on the Dregni book. I haven't been able to dig up anything on either one yet-has anyone else heard about these?

Best,
Jack.

dennis

i heard that django will be played by chris tucker and joseph by jackie chan....

Ando

Jack, I haven't heard, but let's enlarge this subject once again to ask how exactly Django's life is a good subject for a wide-release film.

Let's leave aside the question of our enthusiasm for his music, because as we know, the simple fact that Django made great music isn't enough to justify a feature-length screenplay.

What justifies a screenplay is a *story*, and what makes a decent story is a good *plot* and a worthy *theme* or themes. To make a good plot, you need conflict, and you need a direction of events toward some sort of resolution. As for theme, the more universal, the better.

So let's ask: What are the interesting conflicts in Django's life? How are they resolved? How can these be seen in larger, thematic terms?

I'll take a stab so this isn't an idle question. First, I think one interesting conflict of Django's life was between him and the idea of America. This is something Michael Dregni explores beautifully. It's is a matter of conflict, because on the one hand, Django had this starry-eyed view of American Success and Stardom, and yet he also had this conception of himself as a "prince," worthy to be served, worthy to be left idle, worthy in some intrinsic way. So he wanted success in America, but he didn't want to work hard and "do as the Americans do" to achieve it. He was late, unreliable, etc. Commercially, he didn't achieve success and movie-star stardom. There are real comic elements to this, and the plot would get "resolved" by Django's re-creation of bebop America in small French clubs. But this plot is basically tragic.

What are some other conflicts in Django's life that warrant a serious exploration in film?

Cheers,
Ando

SoulShade

dennis wrote:

i heard that django will be played by chris tucker and joseph by jackie chan....

Ha! That's great!

Jack

Ando wrote:

So let's ask: What are the interesting conflicts in Django's life? How are they resolved? How can these be seen in larger, thematic terms?

My worst fear is that any film will become some sort of mythopoetic hogwash because the filmmaker wants to make a Big Statement. The man's life on it's own is certainly interesting enough, and universal enough (who hasn't had some hardship to overcome, success, disillusionment, family problems, etc.) to strike a chord with most people. In many ways, Django's life is much like any other, but played out on a grander scale. To my mind, it can get dangerous to start looking for 'themes' in a life-it becomes all too easy to overlook the life itself.

My two,
Jack.

trumbology

Ando wrote:

What are some other conflicts in Django's life that warrant a serious exploration in film?

At the risk of stating the obvious, he was a member of an unpopular minority group. It's easy to forget what you knew about gypsies before you got heavy into Django--personally, I just had very vague notions, and some knowledge that they were on Hitler's target list.

But for North Americans, Gypsie life circa 1925-45 would hold considerable fascination, only because it's so foreign to us (I know Gypsies live in North America, but they seem pretty invisible to me in a cultural sense).

And obviously he had the conflict of the fire and maiming, the conflict of his outsized talent and ego with the demands of the day-to-day world, his sort of childlike (at times) outlook. (I shudder to think of him reprensented as some kind of freakish man-child, though there might be a small grain of truth to that characterization.)

While I share Jack's hesitation about cinematic representations of "the idea of America," American music did turn Django completely around, and no other European musician was as fluid a swing musician as Django.

That's a real issue (if not a conflict), the fact that Django, this poor Gypsy guy, was able to nail swing music off of records and glimpses of visiting musicians so completely. It's mind boggling even to me now, obsessed as I am with him.

All that said, don't most music biopics stink?

'Bird' didn't do much for me, and Clint Eastwood is a real jazz connoisseur who I'm sure really wanted to do right by Charlie Parker. I guess the Ray Charles picture got decent reviews, but I didn't really feel compelled to see it.

But if it's not too horrible (let's keep Oliver Stone very, very far away), it could turn some folks on to the music.

Clay

The film by Rick Ross is a documentary. If any of you at samois saw a camera crew around the campsite or the island , that was Rick and his crew. As far as the other film i have no idea.

Jack

trumbology wrote:

While I share Jack's hesitation about cinematic representations of "the idea of America," American music did turn Django completely around, and no other European musician was as fluid a swing musician as Django.

Actually, that's one of the things I don't think I'd have a huge problem with, if only because Django's idea of what America meant was so unrealistic.

trumbology wrote:

At the risk of stating the obvious, he was a member of an unpopular minority group. It's easy to forget what you knew about gypsies before you got heavy into Django--personally, I just had very vague notions, and some knowledge that they were on Hitler's target list.

But for North Americans, Gypsie life circa 1925-45 would hold considerable fascination, only because it's so foreign to us (I know Gypsies live in North America, but they seem pretty invisible to me in a cultural sense).

On this, what I'm most afraid of is the whole 'noble savage' representation-that he'll be shown as a 'simple' man (lots of hedgehog hunting and idiotic grins) who's a sort of idiot savant with a guitar. The fact that it's supposed to be built on the Dregni biography gives me hope, but it is Hollywood.

trumbology wrote:

All that said, don't most music biopics stink?

Yep.

Here's to hoping,
Jack.

trumbology

Jack wrote:

The fact that it's supposed to be built on the Dregni biography gives me hope, but it is Hollywood.

Maybe they'll create a ficticious vocal backing group--the Djangettes--so that Django will have someone to slap around in a dramatic manner when he's in an ill temper.

Surely there will be that shot where he stumbles out of the flaming caravan, grips his left wrist with his right hand and holds his maimed hand before his non-believing eyes, and then drops to his knees as the crane-mounted camera dramatically pans out and is lifted simutaneously, giving us the bird's-eye view of Django screaming "No............n!"

I can't wait.

djangology

a few years back there were rumors about a Django feature film. the director of Bourne Identity (http://imdb.com/name/nm0006904) was supposedly going to follow that film up with a Django feature film but Bourne was so successful that a trilogy was planned instead. As you know, the Bourne trilogy is a Universal Pictures trilogy.

Jack

That's right...I seem to remember it was one of the producers-Frank Marshall, who was also involved with the movie Swing Kids-who wanted to do the film. This is dated just yesterday:

http://www.ew.com/ew/allabout/0,9930,43 ... 0_,00.html

This is from 3 years ago:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111786 ... yid=3&cs=1

Note that Marshall's dad composed the Munsters Theme! Maybe it's finally happening...

Best,
Jack.